WORKING@DUKE

4 7
ENROLL IN ANATOMY OF A PAY SUSTAINABLE DUKE

3
HEALTH BENEFITS STATEMENT Duke gets out of the
Sign up for a Health Ever wonder how business of selling
Care Reimbursement your pay gets to you? surplus property and
Account and receive In honor of National into the business of
a Health Care Card, Payroll Week, follow donating it to non-
which is similar to a the trail. profits and charities.
debit card.

NEWS YOU CAN USE :: Vo l u m e 2 , I s s u e 7 :: September 2007

Global
Greeters Duke’s International House Welcomes Visiting Scholars to Duke

s a Duke van rolled to a stop in front of Target, Lisa Giragosian

A glanced in the rear view mirror and grinned at the diverse group
seated behind her. Her gaze was greeted by a warm smile from
Katalin Molnar, a visiting scholar from Hungary and research associate in
Biological Sciences.
“Thank you for driving us here,” Molnar said, opening a small floral
notebook that contained a shopping list. “I want to bake a Hungarian cake
from my family’s recipe, and I need ingredients,” she said, jotting items
such as coconut, flour and honey.
For the moment, the van was a veritable worldwide welcome wagon,
and Giragosian, assistant director for services at Duke’s International
House, its multi-lingual chauffeur. She and other International House
staff members make the shopping excursion twice a month as part of the
services International House offers to help people from around the globe
acclimate to Duke and the United States.
“I don’t know what I would do without the people at International
Maryam Yavari, an Iranian physician, and husband, Amin Mahnam, a visiting scholar and faculty

House because they help with so many things,” Molnar said. “When
member in Duke’s Biomedical Engineering department, shop at a Target in Durham during a recent

someone moves to the United States, there is a lot of paperwork involved

trip with Duke’s International House.

and other challenges.”
Visiting scholars fulfill vital roles as researchers, professors and
physicians, among other positions, at the university and health system.
Duke’s International House serves as a lifeline and support network.
This fall, Duke has 550 visiting scholars, 100 are new to campus.
“The number of visiting scholars and the number of countries they
come from grows almost every year,” Giragosian said. “This year, we’ve
got visiting scholars from more than 100 countries.”
Duke’s vibrant international community enriches the campus, but the
transition for visiting scholars may not always be easy. Whether it’s basic
needs – transportation for grocery shopping or help finding a rental house,
or more complicated needs – applying for a Social Security card or North
Carolina driver’s license – the International House assists.
The goal is to equip visiting scholars with skills to handle life’s daily
issues on their own, said Patrick Morris, program coordinator.
Top: Katalin Molnar, a visiting scholar from Hungary and research associate in Biological Sciences,
brings to Target a shopping list with ingredients for a Hungarian cake during a recent trip to the
Durham store with Duke’s International House.
“It might be as simple as helping a family get their power turned on
or finding a way for them to get a cell phone without signing a long term
contract,” Morris said. “At other times, a visiting scholar might need
assistance with taxes or in dealing with issues involving an illness in the
family back home or feeling isolated.”
Among its services, the International House hosts an informal
orientation session several times a week about topics ranging from
housing to registering children for school and signing up for English
classes. Workshops also are offered on buying a used car, for example.
Plus, visiting scholars can borrow linens, small appliances and other
goods through the Loan Closet.
“Because International House staff is not doing any of the visa work,
this allows us to focus on services and programming in addition to
trainings.” Giragosian said. “These are things that Duke is doing that you
won’t find on many other college campuses.”
Many visiting scholars, including Susan Leadbetter, said they appreciate
the extra help in navigating foreign systems.
>> See GLOBAL GREETERS, BACK PAGE

2007 Gold Medal, Internal Periodical Staff Writing This paper consists of 30% recycled
2007 Bronze Medal, Print Internal Audience Tabloids/Newsletters post-consumer fiber.
LOOKING
@ DUKE
AHEAD
SEPTEMBER 23 : : Washington
National Opera presents a live
simulcast of Puccini’s “La Boheme”
with Placido Domingo as general
director; Duke is one of 19 educational
institutions around the U.S. selected
to participate in this ground-breaking
event, 2 p.m., Reynolds Theater, free.
SEPTEMBER 28 : : Duke Farmers
Market; last market for the season,
produce, flowers and more, 11 a.m. to
2 p.m., in front of the Medical Center
Store off Coal Pile Drive and next to
the walkway connecting Duke
Hospital and Duke Clinics.
SEPTEMBER 29 : : North
Carolina Pride Festival and Parade,
largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender pride celebration in the
state kicks off from Duke’s East
Campus. Duke’s Center for LGBT Life
is a sponsor and will have a float
in the parade, 10 a.m., festival;
1 p.m., parade.
For more events, check the
university’s online calendar
at http://calendar.duke.edu
Newsbriefs
Duke Signs Climate Commitment
As part of Duke’s continued leadership in environmental
stewardship and sustainability, the university has signed the American
College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.
In signing the
commitment, Duke joined
more than 300 other
colleges and universities
across the U.S. to focus
the research and leadership of higher education on the pressing issue
of global climate change.
“Duke was built on a culture of public engagement and the belief
that we have the duty to share the knowledge of our faculty and
students to address pressing global issues,” President Richard H.
Brodhead said. “Tackling the complex problem of climate change here
on our campus not only benefits this institution but society as a whole.”
By signing the commitment, Duke is pledging to eliminate
campus greenhouse gas emissions over time. This involves completing
an emissions inventory; setting a target date and interim milestones
within two years for becoming climate neutral; taking immediate
steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by choosing from a list of
short-term actions; integrating sustainability into the curriculum and
the overall educational experience for undergraduate, graduate
and professional students; and making the action plan, inventory
and progress reports publicly available. Learn about the Climate
Commitment at www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org.
United Way Duke Partnership Campaign Begins
The United Way Duke Partnership Campaign begins Sept. 24, and
Duke is aiming to increase participation and pledges. Last year, nearly
3,000 Duke faculty and staff contributed nearly $1 million to the
campaign. Monica Pallett, Duke’s campaign manager, said that
participation and pledges have dropped since 2001, when the
campaign raised $1.3 million. She said the
conveniences of online pledging and
payroll deduction make it easier for
faculty and staff to support those most
in need in our community. “Every pledge
counts, no matter the amount, because it is the collective strength of
our combined contributions that really makes a difference.” Pallett
said. For more information, and to donate online, visit the campaign
Web site at www.hr.duke.edu/unitedway.
Fall Run/Walk Club Open
The fall season of the Duke Run/Walk Club kicked off in August,
but it’s not too late to participate, get in shape and feel healthy.
Sponsored by LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke’s employee wellness program, the
12-week walking and running program includes cardiovascular training
for all fitness levels, from new exercisers and beginning runners to
those training for 5K events. The Run/Walk Club is open to all Duke
faculty and staff. A list of new run/walk workshops is available online.
For more information and to register, visit the Run/Walk Club Web site
at www.hr.duke.edu/runwalk or call (919) 684-3136, option 1.
Duke Endowment grant supports
affordable housing, other projects
The Duke Endowment has awarded a grant of $777,500 to Duke
University to support programs of the Duke-Durham Neighborhood
Partnership.
The money will underwrite ongoing affordable housing programs,
leadership training opportunities for local nonprofits, and after-school
tutoring and enrichment programs aimed at closing the achievement
gap among K-12 students.
“Duke provides high quality resources and after-school services
to students in kindergarten through twelfth grade,” said Carl Harris,
superintendent of Durham Public Schools. “We are grateful for Duke’s
sustained programming in neighborhood schools and community
centers, which reinforces the work students do in class.”
Begun in 1996, the Neighborhood Partnership connects the
university with local organizations and residents in 12 neighborhoods
near campus to improve the quality of life and to boost student
achievement in nearby public schools. In addition to educational
enrichment programs for at-risk students, the Neighborhood
Partnership has three other thematic areas for institutional priority
and investment. The Duke Endowment grant will support nearly a
dozen distinct programs in the areas of neighborhood stabilization,
empowering community organizations and university engagement.
Learn more about the Neighborhood Partnership at
www.community.duke.edu.
Letters to the Editor must include name and contact information. E-mail
letters to working@duke.edu or mail them to Working@Duke Editor, Box
90496, Durham, NC 27708. Fax letters to (919) 681-7926. Please keep
length to no more than 200 words.

You Have
Mail:
Primetime employee forum Sept. 13
Hear from Duke’s Chief Information Officer Tracy Futhey
nformation technology has become inseparable from university life, virtual ivy interweaving with the real stuff on the
“I don’t count
the number of e-mail I
receive a day; it would be
too depressing,” Tracy I hall of academe. In the last few years, Duke has been at the forefront of the information transformation occurring
at leading American research institutions.
From the conventional (e-mail and phone service) to the transformational (the Duke Digital Initiative and the latest
version of DukePass), centralized groups such as the
Futhey says. “I think of
Office of Information Technology have helped shape
e-mails as an endless
the digital future for Duke. University departments
treadmill, where it doesn’t
matter how far you go and
how long you stay on it, throughout Duke also have played a crucial role in
there’s always more.” providing opportunities for experimentation with new
technologies in the classroom, the lab and the
workplace. Technology also plays a vital role in Duke’s
new strategic plan, “Making a Difference.” Among the
plan’s priorities is investment in emerging technologies
fice r that improves collaborative learning and creates
f o r m a tion Of new opportunities to connect knowledge in the
t h e C hief In service of society.
with
c u ss how re at Duke. From noon to 1 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 13, join
Duke’s Chief Information Officer Tracy Futhey
d is
T r a c y Futhey e digital futu
th
as she reflects on the many recent technology
hear haping
Come y is s ? ?
log on ce
changes and lets the campus community in on
techno a r
e horiz
e on th ssroom and
workpla
s
new services and projects for the coming year.
nolog ie cla ?
a t n ew tech c h a n g ing the Duke’s future
䡵 Wh
Futhey will address technology issues such
nology y play
in ,
is tech
䡵 How ole does tec
hnolog
e p t e m ber 13
as planned upgrades to Duke’s digital
S
䡵 Wh
at r
T h u rsday, n Center.
on on
infrastructure. She also will discuss how these
Br ya
d o u t at no r le v e l of the
and other changes fit within Duke’s IT vision
in e
Come f h T heater,
low
P R OV I D
ED
f it S
rif O D AY
T
and the implications of these changes for
EN
in the G REFR
ESHM
UKET
I N G
D
WORK teaching, learning, research and operations at Duke.
n d
DUKE
a
@
o n so red by
The event, the fourth in the Primetime employee forum series, will
be in the Griffith Film Theater in the Bryan Center.
Sp

— By Bill Cannon
Sr. Communications Strategist
2 Office of Information Technology

LEARN MORE ABOUT OIT AT WWW.OIT.DUKE.EDU

 Why Is Your Health
Important To You?
SIGN UP FOR HEALTH, DENTAL, VISION INSURANCE OCT. 1 TO OCT. 17 How To
on coverage selected. For the third straight year, Duke Get More
livia.
or Andrew
r, O
h daughte
Basic will not have a premium increase.
n w it
Corcoran, the
F
o ra
Jul ie Corc
picture of good Green said that the low increases were possible, in Information
health took time to come into focus. part, because of improvements many people at Duke have
“In September of 2002, my wife was diagnosed with made in their health. Open enrollment

a brain tumor,” he said. “Over the years, Duke has added deductibles, packets with details

Corcoran, an IT analyst at the Duke Clinical Research increased co-payments, adjusted premiums to maintain about Duke’s health, dental

Institute, and his wife, Julie, wanted to start a family, but comprehensive and affordable coverage,” she said. “But and vision plans and how

held off when they found out about the tumor. Julie had the options to tweak the plan designs to moderate cost to make changes or sign

three surgeries – the first was unsuccessful. After that, they increases have nearly run out. Our best option to control up for a plan will be mailed

went to Duke’s Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center. cost is to improve the health of our employees. That’s to employees in

Today, their family picture includes a healthy 1-year-old why we are promoting and investing in preventive health September.

daughter, Olivia. programs.”

Next year, out-of-pocket expenses for health,
Information sessions
“Thanks to Dr. Allan Friedman and all of the staff
dental, pharmacy and vision insurance will not increase.
about reimbursement
there, Julie is now fully recovered,” Corcoran said. “I am
And co-pays for diabetic insulin and supplies will drop
accounts and health,
very thankful to work at an organization that provides such
from $35 to $10, which could help people at Duke
dental and vision
great health care and health benefits.”
with diabetes save about $100 a month.
coverage are
Open enrollment, the time to select or make changes
“Managing diabetes is key to preventing other health
September 24 through
to health insurance plans, as well as vision, dental and
conditions,” Green said.
October 12. Find a session
reimbursement benefits, begins Oct. 1 and runs through
Other 2008 health plan updates include:
on the Duke Human
Oct. 17. New health insurance premiums, which take effect
䡲 The physician network will continue to expand for
Resources Web site at
Jan. 1, will increase slightly, well below the expected
Duke Select and Duke Basic participants, offering
www.hr.duke.edu.
national average.
Duke’s premium increases for health insurance will be residents in Wake County more options.
Representatives

about one-fifth of the national average in 2008, said Lois 䡲 The premium for vision care in 2008 will not
from the Duke Open

Ann Green, director of Benefits. Duke Select premiums, increase.

Enrollment Service Center

which cover the majority of Duke employees and families, 䡲 The monthly premium for the comprehensive
are available from 8 a.m.

will increase $1.07 per month for individuals; $6.37 per dental plan will rise $1.24 for individuals; $3.75
to 8 p.m. Monday through

month for families. The monthly premium increase for for family coverage.
Friday from Oct. 1 through

Blue Care and Duke Options is slightly higher, depending

Oct. 17; and 8 a.m. to 5
— By Elizabeth Michalka
Writer, Human Resources Communications
p.m. Oct. 6 and Oct. 13.
Call (877) 371-9963.

Reimbursement Made Easy

With New Health Care Card
he biggest complaint about using health care reimbursement accounts has been the
paperwork – filling out forms, mailing them with receipts, and then waiting for the check.
T That’s why employees like Lance Brown are looking forward to 2008 when Duke
introduces a new Health Care Card through VISA® that will pay for many eligible health care
expenses at the register using money from his reimbursement account.
“It’s a huge advantage, especially for someone like me with significant health care costs
every month,” said Brown, senior systems programmer at the Department of Statistical Science.
He spends about $200 a month on diabetes and high blood pressure medication.
The new Health Care Card, provided by WageWorks, Duke’s reimbursement account administrator, works similar
to a debit card. The purchase automatically deducts money from an employee’s Health Care Reimbursement Account
for eligible purchases, including dental and doctors’ fees, prescriptions, and some over-the-counter drugs. During open
Get
enrollment, employees can sign up for a reimbursement account and determine how much they want to contribute to The Card
the account in 2008, which sets the spending limit with the card.
“Because reimbursement accounts use pre-tax dollars, faculty and staff can save about $30 to $40 for every $100 spent
Faculty and staff may

on eligible expenses,” said Saundra Daniels, Benefits plan manager.

enroll in the health care

The card can be used with health care providers, and at pharmacies and certified retailers for over-the-counter drugs.
reimbursement account

Certified retailers such as Walgreens, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club currently accept the Health Care Card for eligible health
only during open

care expenses, and more retailers will be added by 2008.

enrollment, Oct. 1-17.

“If a retailer does not accept the card or if a transaction is denied, purchases can still be reimbursed by submitting claims
Reimbursement accounts
do not automatically renew
forms with a receipt for eligible expenses,” Daniels said. each year. Information
Daniels said all receipts should be kept with Health Care Card purchase because WageWorks may require about signing up for the
documentation to verify expenses. account is included in open
For example, while the card is accepted at a dentist’s enrollment packets and will
office, cosmetic teeth whitening procedures are not eligible
HEALTH CARE REIMBURSEMENT ACCOUNT SAVINGS
be available later this
and will not be reimbursed. Daniels said reimbursement
Without With month at www.hr.duke.edu.
account participants should first verify expenses are eligible
Reimbursement Reimbursement Savings
Account Account The Health Care Card will be

for reimbursement. A list of eligible expenses is at

Co-pays $75 $50 $25 mailed before Jan. 1, 2008.
Prescriptions $300 $225 $75
Over-the-counter
www.hr.duke.edu/benefits/reimbursement.
medicines $75 $50 $25
Uncovered dental/
— By Elizabeth Michalka
vision expenses $300 $225 $75 Writer, Human Resources Communications
Yearly Total $750 $550 $200
3
Source: Human Resources
 Life of a Pay
Duke Corporate
Payroll Services
By The Numbers

30,500
Duke Employees

400
Department Payroll t starts with Duke’s payroll representatives, all 400 in Payroll, hover closely around a computer screen. They’re
reviewing data within Duke’s payroll system processed
Representatives

24
I various departments across Duke. They keep track
of your hours and provide those numbers and other
figures to Duke Corporate Payroll Services, which
during the week, so they can create a file that enables other
staff members to input the next round of time cards.
compiles the data, ensures its accuracy and pays 30,500 “The file we’re about to archive contains 166,119
Duke employees. records with updated data that has been entered this
Corporate Payroll
Services Staff
Like clockwork each month, thousands of direct week, such as employees who have changed their address
deposit statements, along with a small number of checks, or signed up for health insurance,” Endsley said.
1994 roll off printers in the North Building for bi-weekly and Endsley and Harrington also edit scores of individual
Year Direct Deposit monthly paid staff. time cards in preparation for entering the data for pay.
“Most people don’t realize what we do to get Inputting time card data – and verifying each batch –
takes much of the staff members’ time Friday through
Launched
employees paid,” said Anne Comilloni, associate director
of Duke Corporate Payroll Services. “From data entry to Wednesday.
“On Tuesdays, for instance, our goal is to key in the
40,497
printing, sealing and distributing payments, 24 Corporate
W-2 Statements
Payroll employees and hundreds of people from other data from at least 5,000 cards,” Endsley said. “In addition,
Printed in 2006 departments across Duke work together, behind the we also have to input any changes, such as new hires.”
scenes, before you receive your pay.”
4 And it does not end after printing. Soon after pay PRINTING
day, Corporate Payroll typically fields more than 250 calls Many hours go into the process – reviewing reports,
balancing the records and ensuring accurate and quality
Printers for Direct
from employees. Topics run the gamut, from deductions
data. After data is updated and loaded, Nakia Harrington
Deposit Statements
for health insurance premiums and vacation accruals to
paid time off.
Next year, Duke Corporate Payroll plans to go “green”
85,715
Pay Checks Printed by implementing an online direct deposit statement, the blue
in 2006 document university and health system employees now receive
for a direct bank deposit. Faculty and staff will be able to go
508,666 online to view and download direct deposit statements.
Direct Deposit In recognition of this month’s National Payroll Week,
which celebrates the work of 156 million wage earners and
the payroll professionals who pay them, here’s the life of
Statements Printed
a Duke pay statement.
in 2006

$1.4 billion ENTERING TIME CARD DATA

Annual Duke Payroll It’s 11 a.m. on a recent Friday, and Debbie Endsley
and Nakia Harrington, team members in Corporate Leroy Mickens, shift supervisor for the Office of Information Technology, runs
the Laser machine that prints 1,000 direct deposit statements in 15 minutes.

selects “print” on a computer screen, and names and

figures are transmitted to another computer database
in the North Building off Research Drive.
In a windowless room cooled to 68 degrees, Leroy
Mickens, a 43-year Duke employee, presided over one
of several high speed laser printers, a Xerox Docutech
that prints 1,000 direct deposit statements in as little
as 15 minutes.
Mickens lifted a bundle of 1,000 blank direct deposit
statements from a box. Checks were retrieved from a
locked area. He matched names and numbers of blank
checks and direct deposit statements to information on
a master list to ensure sequential printing by pay area.
Debbie Endsley, left, and Nakia Harrington, of Corporate Payroll Services, “I like to print one box at a time,” Mickens said.
sort time cards in payroll offices at 705 Broad St.
“If it doesn’t match up, you’ve got a problem.”

4
Statement “ Most people
don’t realize
what we do to get
employees paid, from
data entry to printing,
sealing and distributing
He loaded a bundle of direct deposit statements delivery to university and health systems departments.
in the Xerox, pressed a few buttons, and within seconds, The envelopes for this recent pay day filled 18 postal crates.
payments, 24 Corporate
they rolled through the machine, which printed name and Although most checks and vouchers are delivered Payroll employees and
address on the Duke blue front, and pay, tax and deduction to payroll representatives in each department through
benefit figures inside. The freshly printed statements piled campus mail, about 30 representatives choose to pick
hundreds of people from
into stacks in machine trays. them up. On a recent afternoon, Aida Figueroa, human other departments
resources manager in the Pharmacy business office, and
Alan Dunn, a payroll representative with Duke Clinical
FOLDING AND SEALING across Duke work
The next morning, Mike Harris, another staff member Research Institute (DCRI), joined others and collected together,
from Corporate Payroll, collected 3 ½ boxes of checks and their area checks and direct deposit statements from
13 boxes of direct deposit statements from the North Corporate Payroll.
behind the
“My job is to make sure 800 to 850 employees get scenes,
paid, and that’s very important,” said Dunn, who has
worked at Duke nine years. “I like driving over here and
before you
getting it straight from the source.” receive your pay.”
— Anne Comilloni
PAY DAY
Sitting at his desk recently at DCRI, Dunn sorted pay
Associate Director of Duke

statements for delivery to bi-weekly paid employees. He

Corporate Payroll Services

makes the rounds twice a month, distributing about 500

pay statements to bi-weekly paid staff.

Mike Harris, of Corporate Payroll, cleans the machine that seals pay checks
and direct deposit statements.

Building and delivered them to Duke Corporate Payroll at

705 Broad St., where, once again, staff matched names and
check and direct deposit numbers with a master list. Once
the balancing processes were complete, the pay statements
were ready for the next step.
In a 10-by-18 foot room, Harris stacked the printed
pay statements in a LaserMate, a long machine for pressure
sealing. He pressed a button, and the statements were sucked
into the machine, where they were folded once and sealed Naomi Pratt, left, receives her direct deposit statement from Alan Dunn,

before rolling out like a ribbon on the other end.

payroll representative for Duke Clinical Research Institute.

“Handing these out is the best part of my job,” he

SORTING AND PICKUP
After sealing, the pay statements were sorted by
organization and deposited in envelopes for pickup or
said. “On pay day, I suddenly turn into a very popular guy Got
around here.”
Among the employees, Dunn delivered a direct
deposit statement directly to Naomi Pratt, a DCRI staff
Direct
assistant and Duke employee since 1988. She has had Deposit?
direct deposit since it was offered in 1994. She doesn’t
miss the hassle of rushing to a bank during lunch to
deposit a check. “That’s the best thing they’ve ever done,”
Start the convenient

she said of direct deposit.

process to allow Duke to
Twice a month, when Pratt receives her direct deposit directly deposit your pay
statement, it still holds special significance: pay day. “The into a bank account by
check is in the bank,” Pratt said. filling out an agreement
form. Pick up a form at
— By Leanora Minai and Missy Baxter
Corporate Payroll Services
Working@Duke
at 705 Broad St., or visit
www.finsvc.duke.edu/finsvc/
payroll, select “payroll
forms” and click “Direct
Deposit Authorization
Agreement.”
Chrissy Jones, Corporate Payroll
specialist, distributes some pay checks
and direct deposit statements to payroll
representatives from across the
university and health system outside
Corporate Payroll Offices.
5
 Create a culture of safety
REPORT OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES ONLINE WITHIN 24 HOURS
ike many work-related injuries, the head trauma that Williams said financial consequences exist
Nicole Coombs suffered in 2003 after being kicked in for departments that do not report injuries
L the head by a patient created a backlash of
complications. A registered nurse at Duke North Hospital,
within 24 hours. Departments that report claims
late may be responsible for their staff members
workers’ compensation wage replacement.
Coombs was on leave for several months for the injury
that caused memory loss and required physical therapy. Williams said it is important to raise
“I think it’s very important for injuries to be reported awareness about the role each person plays in
as soon as possible so that the person who is injured can creating a safe environment. “The goal is to
get the medical care they need and to hopefully prevent any help create a culture within the
other employees from being injured,” said Coombs, 27. university and health system in
Coombs’ injury was immediately reported to a which everyone feels a
supervisor in accordance with Duke’s workers’ responsibility to ensure a safe
compensation policy, which requires that all occupational environment for all,” she said. Report
injuries and illnesses be reported through the Web site Studies show that about
85 percent of all injuries are
Accidents
within 24 hours.
“Duke preventable, Williams said.
Within 24 Hours
strives to create a The most frequent causes of
employee injuries at Duke are
Occupational Safety Tips Safety is everyone’s
• Check under your desk for culture of safety
computer cords, cables and where employees slipping and falling; getting hit
responsibility. Managers

other obstacles that might
become tangled with feet.
• Observe wet floor signs,
watch for spills and
immediately clean or
do not suffer an by or against an object and and their employees must
on-the-job injury, lifting/exertion. Many slip and Nicole Coombs
complete an incident
but if an injury fall injuries, for example, occur
indoors and are
report within 24 hours.
occurs, it is
crucial to report the result of spills or objects on the ground.
Access forms online at

report them. it online within “The good news is there continues to be fewer www.hr.duke.edu/
24 hours,” said injuries compared with this time last year in each
• Step carefully when
workcomp. For more
transitioning from one Joyce Williams, category,” Williams said. “Awareness is the key. That’s
why emphasizing a culture of safety is important.”
information, call Workers’
floor surface to another. director of
Workers’
Compensation, (919)
• Take extra caution in
inclement weather. Compensation.
— By Missy Baxter 684-6693.
Working@Duke Correspondent

Borrow & Renew find a book, film or audio

Loan periods vary depending
on circulation policies and
your particular selection.
recording at Duke Libraries
Staff members, for example,
may borrow a book or sat down recently with Jean Ferguson, a reference branches. Click the link under “location/request” and
select “request” under the “GetIt@Duke” column. Have
audiobook for four weeks; a
film or video for three days;
and a musical recording for
I librarian at Duke. I wanted to know how to search the
online Duke University Libraries database for a book,
film or audio recording. After all, Duke faculty and staff are
your NET ID and password available.
Don’t want to wait? Here’s a tip: Return to the results
list. Select the live link in the title field for your book to get
automatically granted borrowing privileges from Duke’s vast
a week. For more information

collection, one of the nation’s top 10 private university “full view of record.” Look for “more information” and
on library services, visit

library systems. select “view WorldCat web page for this item.”
www.library.duke.edu.

All you need is a valid DukeCard. If you want to use
a computer to reserve a holding already checked out, you’ll
need your NET ID and password.
Duke has more than 5.5 million
books, and finding yours isn’t as daunting
a task as it may seem.
Log on to www.library.duke.edu
from any computer, including any Duke
library screen. At the left of the screen,
you’ll see a search box, much like a
Google feature. Make sure “catalog” is
selected. For this search, we typed J.D.
Salinger’s novel, “The Catcher in the
Rye.” The catalog returned 22 results,
each with fields for author, title, format,
year and location/call number.
Scroll down for your particular title and format, e.g.
A Duke community member
This offers other libraries in our area that carry the
book, even by zip code. Because Duke is a member of the
Triangle Research Libraries Network, faculty and staff have
borrowing privileges at North Carolina State University,
UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University.
Duke also has nearly 13,000 music CDs at the Music
Library and more than 300 audiobook recordings and
18,000 video recordings at Lilly Library, including
documentaries and foreign films. To find a movie, select
the “advanced search” from the Duke Libraries home page.
Change the “format” drop-down menu on the right side
of the screen to “film/video,” choose “Lilly” from the
“location” drop-down and search by keyword, title or
author, which includes director, actor and others.
For my search, I typed “All the President’s Men”
and got five results, including a VHS and DVD for the
movie, originally released in 1976. The “location” field

showed the DVD in Lilly. Jot down the call number

listens to a record in the Music

book, and scan across to “location,” where the holding is

Media Center on East Campus.

kept. The location field provides the number of copies associated with your selection’s location, go to the public
Photo courtesy of Mark Zupan,

owned, and how many are on loan. For my search at press services desk at Lilly, give staff members the call number,
Duke Libraries.

time, two copies of the 2001 paperback edition of “The and they’ll retrieve it.
6 Catcher in the Rye” were checked out. I am still able to — By Leanora Minai

request the book from the Perkins Library and its seven
Editor, Working@Duke
 Sustainable uke
YO U R S O U R C E FO R G R E E N N E W S AT D U K E

How the Duke

Surplus Property
Program Works
a Fill out a pickup
request form at
Keith Byrd of God's Property Urban Ministry in Durham loads donated Duke chairs from the new surplus program for the organization’s transitional housing program.
www.procurement.
duke.edu
a Enter the required
Finding A Home information about
each surplus item,
including computers

For Duke Property uses locally-grown produce in its dining services and
and peripherals.
a DeHaven’s, a
contracted moving
hen Duke announced it was getting out of the
and storage company,
participates in community service programs that enrich
W business of selling surplus equipment and into the
business of donating usable furniture, computers
and other property, Fran Alexander rented a truck.
conditions at nearby schools and neighborhoods, all
in an effort to have a positive impact on the community
will collect up to six
items at no charge
when collected by two

She and her staff furnished the EDGE Training and world.
movers and a truck.

and Placement center in downtown Durham with many Duke’s Procurement and Supply Chain Management
Allow several days to

fixtures, including 93 chairs. They also received a donation coordinates the donation of all usable furniture, computers
coordinate pickups to

of 30 Duke computers for the 28 to 30 students preparing and other property to charities and non-profit organizations,
eliminate excess trips

as well as health system medical equipment and supplies

to campus, thereby
for the General Education Development (GED) test.
for Duke’s Global Health PLUS program, known as
saving fuel.
“It’s just been invaluable,” said Alexander, executive a Items will be collected
director of EDGE, which stands for Education, Placement of Life-changing Usable Surplus.
Development, Growth and Employment. “There’s The new process for getting Duke property to
and stored in campus

no way we could have done it alone.” charities and non-profit groups begins with requesting a
warehouses.

Many non-profit groups and charities such as the pick up. Students, faculty and staff can go online to Duke’s a Local charities and
Recovery Center of Durham, Community Wholeness Procurement Services Web site to enter surplus property
nonprofits will be
Venture and Urban Ministries have participated in the information and request a collection. Once orders are
contacted to schedule

new Duke Surplus Property Program, receiving chairs, sofas, received, items are scheduled for pick up by DeHaven’s
time to pick up items.

tables, televisions and microwaves, among other items.
On July 1, the Duke Surplus Store closed its doors
at the Shoppes at Lakewood after 10 years and started the
new surplus property program as part of Duke’s
commitment to socially responsible and environmentally
friendly practices. The new program builds upon other
initiatives such as the Duke Computer Exchange, which
has donated more than 2,000 computers to Durham Public
Schools and local non-profits.
“If there’s still life in it, we can find a home for it,”
said Mary Crawford, associate director for Procurement
and Supply Chain Management. “By donating items instead
of selling them, we are likely to create a more sustainable,
closed-loop system with a greater level of waste diversion.
This ’cradle-to-cradle’ business model will eliminate part of
the waste stream and lower our demand on resources. The
more items we provide to the community, the less likely
new items will need to be produced from raw materials.”
In addition to the new property re-use program,
and delivered to a local warehouse for distribution to
certified charities and non-profit groups. Get Property For
Health System surplus medical equipment and supplies Your Department
will be donated to the international community. Medical
supplies not used in surgical or other procedures and Call (919) 684-2964
usable surplus medical equipment will be donated to
Global Health PLUS, which will distribute items to health
programs around the world, including REMEDY at Duke, Want More
the Engineering World Health program, and the Duke-
Uganda 2007 Neurosurgery Initiative. Sustainably
Duke neurosurgeon Michael Haglund, a member
of the Global Health PLUS committee who heads the News?
Uganda initiative, said that before the surplus store’s
closing, medical equipment sat at the retail space until Visit
liquidators bought it. He said the new donation program
will not only change lives, but also how surgery is
www.duke.edu/
practiced in East Africa. sustainability
— By Camille Jackson

Duke constructs low-energy, resource-efficient buildings,

Writer, Office of News and Communications
7

Tell Us Your Sustainability Story — Write to Working@Duke.edu

WORKING@ DUKE

“
HOW TO REACH US
Editor: Leanora Minai
dialogue@Duke
(919) 681-4533
leanora.minai@duke.edu
“Why is your health important to you?”
Assistant Vice President:
Paul S. Grantham

Staying healthy is definitely an important aspect of my life. It helps me stay focused on

“
(919) 681-4534

my job, keeps me happy, relieves stress and makes me more confident. I exercise and try
paul.grantham@duke.edu

Graphic Design & Layout:

to stay fit because it improves my health in every way, both physically and emotionally.”
Paul Figuerado Naomi Alston
Staff Assistant, Arts & Sciences Development Office
10 months at Duke
Photography: Jon Gardiner, Les Todd
and Megan Morr of Duke University
Photography

The older I get, the more I realize how

“
Support Staff: Mary Carey

important my health is to me. I’m trying to

and William Blackburn

work on a few things to get healthier, but weight

doesn’t seem to come off as easy as it goes on.”
Working@Duke is published monthly
by Duke’s Office of Communication
Services. We invite your Robert Thornton
Maintenance Mechanic, Facilities Management
Got A
feedback and suggestions for
future story topics.
10 months at Duke
Story
My health is very important to me, and my
Idea
Please write us at

Duke health benefits have served me well

working@duke.edu or

over the years.”

Working@Duke, Box 90496,
705 Broad St., Durham, NC 27708
Call us at (919) 684-4345. Cloyce Lassiter
Send faxes to (919) 681-7926. Assistant Business Manager, Study Abroad Office
24 years at Duke
Write
working@duke.edu
— By Missy Baxter
Working@Duke Correspondent
Call
(919) 681-4533

Global Greeters
continued from page 1
Did You Know?
After only a few days in Durham, Leadbetter was among the
seven visiting scholars who rode to Target on a recent Saturday to
Duke has

shop. Leadbetter, 27, is from Britain and working as a research

550 visiting

associate in the Earth & Ocean Sciences division. Armed with a

scholars on

list of “basic essentials” such as shampoo and fresh fruit, she

campus this fall.

More than made her way around the store.

500 visiting Giragosian, assistant director for services at Duke’s International
“So far, the biggest complication is transportation,”
Leadbetter said. “I’ll have to get used to the public transit
scholars used House, drives a van with Duke international scholars to a Target in

system here. Until then, though, I’m very glad International

International House Durham on a recent Saturday. The International House serves as a

House offers rides to the store.”

services in the past support network for Duke’s 550 visiting scholars.

Other challenging obstacles for visiting scholars include day-to-day issues such as loneliness and communicating
year.

The number with co-workers. Molnar, the visiting scholar from Hungary, attends an English conversation club every week at the
International House.
of visiting Duke

“I’ve met a lot of new friends there,” Molnar said. “I think it’s wonderful that Duke assists people who are new
scholars has

to America.”
risen nearly 40 percent

Some Duke departments are following the cue from International House. Staff members in Romance Studies,
in the past five years.

The top for example, worked through the summer to welcome about a dozen new visiting scholars serving the department. To
visiting scholar
prepare for their arrival, Catherine Knoop, a Romance Studies staff assistant, attended a recent workshop at International
House. Knoop and about 20 other staff members from various departments learned tips for helping visiting scholars and
countries are

exchanged information gleaned from previous experiences.

China, Japan, Korea,

“We get a lot of questions about things like bus routes, health insurance and driver’s licenses,” Knoop said. “We help
Italy and Germany.

More than them with the issues we can, and for the more-complicated things, we direct them to International House.”
half of Duke Based on advice during the workshop, the Romance Studies department created an information packet with pointers
about living in Durham.
post-doctoral

“It’s a cheat sheet that explains things like where to find out about bus routes and where to go for utilities and other
scholars hail from

services they need,” Knoop said.

countries outside the

Along with providing assistance when possible, Knoop and other Duke
United States.

How to Get Involved
If you don’t have direct contact with international scholars through
your job at Duke, you can still welcome them by participating in several
International House initiatives, including making donations to the
“Loan Closet” or participating in the weekly conversation club.
Visit http://ihouse.studentaffairs.duke.edu or call (919) 684-3585.
employees agree that it’s important for every person on campus to extend a
friendly welcome to visiting scholars.
“You can tell that they appreciate it when you ask them about their culture
and their country,” said Knoop, “so I’m going to start doing more of that.”
— By Missy Baxter
Working@Duke Correspondent

For daily news and information, visit

D U K E T O D AY www.duke.edu/today